Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 476: Chapter 476 - Little Tamer Doctor

The small mana crystals had finally disappeared completely from Ren’s mana vision.

He observed with satisfaction how the last crystallized fragments dissolved in Zhao’s circulatory system, converted back to their semi-ethereal state and absorbed by the processed tentacles.

The professor lay more relaxed now, his breathing less labored, the lines of tension in his face gradually softening.

The transformation was remarkable. Where before Zhao’s mana channels had been clouded with crystalline obstructions, now they flowed with unbelievable ease. Each dissolved fragment represented another step back from the brink of death.

”Phase two,” Ren murmured, wiping his hands before reaching for the transparent gel they had obtained from amphibian tissues.

”Are you sure you know what you’re doing with those tissues from another species?” asked one of the experts for the third time, his voice tense with concern as he felt the internal changes with his Venus’s roots and observed the kid working.

Ren didn’t look away from his patient. ”Yes, and even if he had any adverse or hypersensitive reaction we would just need to heal it in real time... I need to keep his mana pathways covered while the healers work. If more crystals form while we’re repairing the damage, the first step won’t have served any purpose...”

The crystallization process that had nearly killed Zhao would continue unless they could create barriers to prevent re-formation.

”It would be like repairing a ship while it’s sinking,” Liora understood, her decent comprehension of the process surprising the doctors who felt they had forgotten and underestimated what it was to be children of that age.

The medical expert with the Parasitic Venus observed with growing fascination the patient’s interior while Ren injected the adaptable gel with the help of water elementals.

The process required the utmost care. Each injection had to be placed just on top of the mana circulatory system, creating a protective matrix around the mana channels to help with the natural healing processes.

”The micro-wounds are really sealing,” he murmured, disbelief evident in his voice. ”And there’s no adverse reaction... It’s not even scarring, it’s actually regenerating slowly. As if the gel were providing scaffolding for the original system to rebuild itself.”

Ren kept working without taking his eyes off his task.

His concentration was absolute, as if he were reading invisible instructions and executing them without doubt. His hands moved with firm confidence, each application of the gel calculated to the millimeter.

The healers worked in shifts around the table, keeping Zhao’s vital systems stable while Ren performed the more delicate work. Three had already had to be replaced due to mana exhaustion, but the progress was undeniable.

”His mana circulation is improving,” reported the second expert, the man with the Leech Bee. ”Toxicity levels are also gradually decreasing.”

Julius exchanged a look of relief with Luna and Liora. It seemed he really might survive.

The transformation was visible even to untrained eyes. Zhao’s skin, which had been taking on an unhealthy pallor from the mana poisoning, was slowly returning to its normal color. His breathing, previously shallow and labored, was becoming deeper and more regular.

Dragarion observed the scene from his position by the wall, a smile playing on his tired lips.

”Better than expected,” he murmured, his eyes analyzing not only Ren’s work but the broader implications. ”Maybe too much better.”

”Father,” Julius approached, noticing the king’s thoughtful expression. ”You should rest. I notice you’re dimmed and we don’t know how much longer this is going to take...”

”Mmm,” Dragarion waved a hand distractedly. ”I want to see how this ends.”

There was something in his expression that Julius couldn’t completely decipher. A combination of approval, curiosity, and something that might have been... worry?

The look was somewhat familiar, the same expression Dragarion wore when he was evaluating new travels.

”What are you thinking about?” Julius asked, recognizing or maybe remembering that particular look.

Dragarion smiled more widely, but the fatigue was still evident in his eyes. ”Oh, just some possibilities...”

His pause was significant.

”I wonder what else he might know...”

Julius frowned, but before he could ask more, Ren’s voice cut through the room.

”I need you to keep your healing system stable and localized for the next ten minutes,” he instructed the healers. ”I’m going to absorb the last mana residues from the system and there can’t be any fluctuations.”

The medical experts concentrated harder, fascinated by the level of precision he was demonstrating.

♢♢♢♢

In the depths of Zhao’s unconsciousness, memories continued to unfold.

The clearing had been a temporary refuge, but Zhao knew he couldn’t stay indefinitely. The Playful Cat continued prowling the perimeter, and although the medicinal grass’s smell kept it at a distance, Zhao feared it might get used to it.

He had worked methodically, processing the medicinal leaves with the scarce resources he had. Luckily he didn’t need much... the flasks he carried already contained the necessary residual fermentation agents and the plants at his disposal were of excellent quality.

He only required squeezing the leaves and mixing the extract with the residue from the flasks.

The work was even meditative in its simplicity. Each leaf had to be squeezed at exactly the right strength, where the medicinal compounds were at their best concentration. Too low and the potency suffered; too hard and that bitterness crept in the one that could cause adverse reactions.

”A few days of fermentation and they’ll be ready to refill what I was missing for the platinum rings,” he murmured while working, his eyes occasionally directed toward the claw tree rising from the giant corpse.

The structure intrigued him. There was something unnatural about the way the wood had been preserved, as if it had been instantly petrified. He had touched the surface searching for clues, but the material was as hard as the densest mana crystals and revealed none of its secrets.

”What are you?” he had murmured, running his fingers over the twisted branches.

The tree remained silent, guarding its mysteries.

After a day of work and ’restless rest’, always alert for the Playful Cat that continued watching, Zhao had made his decision.

The claw could wait. His mission couldn’t.

”The king might be in trouble out there,” he had told himself while packing his backpack filled to the maximum with new medicinal supplies.

♢♢♢♢

The Playful Cat had lost interest in Zhao for one crucial moment.

Its attention had shifted toward something moving at the opposite edge of the clearing, perhaps some smaller inhabitant of the Gold 3 forest that had had the misfortune to catch its attention. Whatever it was, it gave Zhao the opportunity he needed.

With stealth activated to the maximum, he glided from the claw tree toward the opposite side of the clearing. His movements were ghostly, each feather of his Mist Owl working to absorb sound and blur his presence.

The technique required perfect coordination between his beast’s abilities and his own movements. Each step had to be placed precisely, each breath controlled, each shift in weight calculated to avoid creating vibrations that might alert the predator.

’It shouldn’t be far now,’ he thought mentally, not daring to even whisper.

The edge of the third golden ring was approaching. Zhao could feel it in the air, a subtle change in pressure, in mana density, in the very quality of light. Based on the principle of almost linear increase in ring size, he shouldn’t be far from platinum territory.

He was right.

The frontier appeared before him like an invisible but undeniable line due to the difference in its ecological composition. The air on the other side shimmered with a faint platinum glow, and the mana concentration increased noticeably.

”The first platinum ring,” he whispered, feeling both terror and triumph.

It was then that he heard the low roar behind him.

The Playful Cat had noticed his absence.

Zhao didn’t bother looking back; the sound approaching was unmistakable. Enormous paws striking trunks in a rhythm that was accelerating, the sharp shrill growl of a feline predator that had found its prey trying to escape.

This wasn’t just play pursuit anymore; it was personal.

”Damn you fat sadistic beast!” he hissed, abandoning all pretense of stealth again.

He flew at full speed toward the platinum frontier, his muscles burning as he pushed his flight beyond its limits.

The roar was getting closer. Zhao could almost feel the Playful Cat’s hot breath on his neck, imaginary but terrifyingly real in his mind.

”Come on, come on, come on,” he urged himself, every fiber of his being concentrated on reaching the frontier.

The platinum line was approaching. Fifty meters. Thirty. Twenty.

Claws whistled centimeters from his back.

Ten meters.

Five.

Zhao crossed the platinum ring frontier at the same instant that the Playful Cat’s claws brushed the air where he had been a second before.

For a moment, Zhao thought he had escaped. Trees to jump were very scarce here...

The platinum air enveloped him like a heavy blanket. His breathing became labored immediately, and he had to force his mana system to avoid energy overload in his veins.

The sensation was overwhelming. This wasn’t just increased mana density; this was like breathing liquid power. Every breath threatened to flood his system with more energy than it could safely process.

But the frustrated roar behind him didn’t stop at the frontier.

”No, no, no,” Zhao murmured, turning to see the Playful Cat cross the line jumping from the last tree with obstinate determination.

The creature staggered momentarily when landing in the ground when the dense mana hit it, but its obsession with Zhao overcame any discomfort. Its black and white spots became brighter in the energy-charged environment, and its eyes fixed on Zhao never lost their focus.

The persistence was terrifying. This wasn’t rational predator behavior; this was obsession beyond the bounds of normal beast psychology.

’Exactly as the footprints next to the king’s had suggested,’ Zhao realized with growing horror. ”Cats don’t always respect boundaries.”